Designer Spotlight - Julie Hickey

What is your favourite thing about crafting?

I love teaching, seeing other people crafting it’s so therapeutic and good for the soul. Makes you forget about everything and loose yourself in creating something whether it’s a quick card or a more in depth project. The feeling they get when they’ve made something they are proud of is just fabulous.

If you could chose to do anything to do for the day, what would it be?

A day at the beach with my hubby and boys. Cooking on bbq something special for dinner. Having a fire on beach and watching the sun go down.

Is there anything you wished would come back into fashion?

You’ve really stumped me with this question! I know dark chocolate Toffee Crisp chocolate bars. They were my hubbies favourite and it would make him happy.

What song would you say best sums you up?

Don’t think this song sums me up but it was the first one to pop into my head after reading the question. ‘Come on Eileen’ by Dexies Midnight Runners. Can’t ever help but sing along takes me back to being 16 again which was a long time ago now.

What is your favourite book to read?

Don’t really have a favourite book, but I love romantic stories - I’m a sucker for romance but it has to be modern day so I can relate to it.

Aside from necessities, what one thing could you not go a day without?

Lip salve! Use it constantly throughout the day, every day.

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One of my favourite techniques using WOW! embossing powder is the resist technique, for my card today I have stamped and embossed my latest Circle Sentiments stamps with Bright White Opaque embossing powder and then added an inky blended background using a rainbow of Distress Oxide ink pads.

To create my card you will need to cut a piece of card stock to your card blank size, leaving a small border around the edge.  Randomly stamp sentiments over the background using WOW! slow drying embossing ink pad.  Cover stamped sentiments with Bright White embossing powder and use the WOW! dual speed heat tool to melt the powder.

Lets see how good those sentiments look embossed...

Now start adding stripes of colour, starting at the top with Wilted Violet, blending in to Peacock Feathers and then Mermaid Lagoon.

Next I added Mowed Lawn and then Mustard Seed, Ripe Persimmon before finishing up with Picked Raspberry.  I built the colours up using a blending brush, which gives a really soft look and blends beautifully.

I love the finished effect of the rainbow inking, don't you?

One thing that is really important to do and makes such a difference is to use a cloth and wipe away any excess ink from the top of the white embossing.

When you wipe away any excess ink the wording in white just pops off the card! My finished panel and all the ink pads that I used to create my rainbow...

To finish my card I stamped and embossed a sentiment in white and layered onto a die cut scallop circle. First I stamped and embossed the circle of hearts using white embossing powder.  Then placed my sentiment in the centre and stamped and embossed that too.

Colour both pieces with Wilted Violet and Peacock Feathers Distress Ink pads so that matched in with the background panel.  Layer together and attached to card panel using foam pads.  Adhere background panel to front of card.

Add a few sequins to finish card and dots of pearls to the scallops of layered sentiment.

I also wanted to show you an alternative to my card, I have created a very similar card, but this time added some stamped and embossed flowers in the background too.  I used Picked Raspberry and Carved Pumpkin for the background colours and this time splattered with some water to remove some of the ink on the background.

This could also be a wonderful card for a male birthday, young or old, just change the colours to blues and greens and add stars instead of flowers and you would be well away!

Hope you like my card ideas, if you head over to WOW! Embossing Powder website if you would like to treat yourself, use my DT code: WOWDTJHI (capital i) to get 10% off anything from WOW! website.

If you would like to buy my Julie Hickey Designs Circle Sentiment Stamp Set they are available from www.craftsulove.co.uk/juliehickeydesigns